According to scientist Melanie Gruyer, however, the spider situation seems to be looking up. Yet in Japan, a giant, truck-sized, glowing egg sack gives a shocking preview of what is to come, even as survivors in Los Angeles panic and break the quarantine zone.

Out in the desert, survivalists Gordo and Shotgun are trying to invent a spider super weapon, but it’s not clear if it’s too late, because President Stephanie Pilgrim has been forced to enact the plan of last resort: The Spanish Protocol. America, you are on your own.

Review

Skitter is part two of The Hatching trilogy and though it did sort of fall victim to the second book in a trilogy trope it was actually pretty good regardless.

It was a general lull in the mania that was The Hatching that gives you the idea that Boone hasn’t finished with the spiders and he hasn’t finished telling his story that’s for sure.

Skitter is more of a plateau for Boone to pitch the following ideas of where the story is going to go; it follows the same characters from The Hatching and plenty of new ones as they all experience the changes from the first wave of spiders and the transition to the second wave.

The survivalists Gordo, Shotgun and their significant others Amy and Fred become integral to the storyline whereas in the first book they were merely amusing side characters. Development of a weapon that is supposedly able to destroy the spiders takes a good precedent.

Although the series so far has been dark this book was infinitely darker with a lot more death and destruction mostly at the hands of government officials who are in a respect doing what they believe to be the right move. Agent Mike Rich has holed up with his family on an island in the woods and he’s feeling particularly twitchy when some folks appear from nowhere.

There was some more scientific deductions about these spiders that potentially could not be actual spiders but could actually be spiders – if that made any sense whatsoever yay. It’s left open to have the story continued and hopefully the next book will give me the info I crave.

Skitter wasn’t particularly creepy and there was minimal spider action with only a few people being eaten, some weird experiences from civilians and some people jumping the gun with regards to the egg sacs.

In all, the book wrapped up some trailing story arcs nicely and left the story wide open for the next book.

4 thoughts on “ARC Review: Skitter by Ezekiel Boone”

I enjoyed Skitter, it’s a good book but not as good as The Hatching, it missed the spiders, and as you say, definitely some second book syndrome, can tell Boone was building to the final book in the trilogy, especially with that ending!